Visual Journal Entry 6

Bell Hooks Reflection

Hooks' reflections on her father's photo and its importance to her made me think of this photo of my grandparents. I was obsessed with my grandfather growing up and he was my best friend but he died when I was 6 so I really didn't get to learn that much about his life before my mom and uncle came along. Looking at this picture not only reminds me of all the good times that I had with him but it makes me think about the great life that he must have lived before I even knew him. It a little weird to think about but he was my age once and seeing how happy he is here makes me think that he was just as carefree and loving as me when he was a young adult.

Visual Journal Enty 5

Reading the essay and thinking about how Hooks cherished her image of her in her cowgirl outfit because it represented her and her true self and who she liked to think of herself as, I thought of the image of myself that I think those things about. The first image is how I really feel inside. I am a outgoing and wild and crazy girl with a loving family but I think sometimes that gets lost with all the stress of everything going on in my life. Looking back on it now, it makes me smile and makes me hope that one day I can get back to being that girl. 

The second picture is important to me because it shows me how photography can turn back time and allow you to remember even the smallest of details. When I look at this picture I remember everything about that day. I remember I caught more fish than my sister and that it was cloudy and there was a nice breeze so I didn't realize that I was getting the worst sunburn of my life and that I fell asleep on the car ride home in my Perry the platypus hat. This picture made me realize the importance of photography in preserving time and memory. 

Barthes Response

When I read the essay I thought a lot about advertisement and how a lot of times you need the words to figure out what they are trying to sell. I thought about this fragrance ad and realized that if it were not for the words "fragrance for women" I would have absolutely no idea what this ad was trying to sell. It looks more like it's advertising apples than a fragrance so this image really does depend on the words included on it.
On a denotation level we can tell that there is a man and a woman and apples, one of which is obviously fake. We can also tell that it is a fragrance ad because of the print "fragrance for women" printed on the ad.
On a connotation level we can tell that the advertisers are trying to sell attractiveness and sex. The look and in the woman's eyes and the way her mouth is parted along with the way the man is gazing at her suggest lust. The use of the apples also adds a seductive aspect, mirroring Adam and Eve. The advertisers are not just trying to sell a fragrance, they are trying to sell the idea that wearing the fragrance will make men more attracted to you and lustful towards you.

Visual Journal Entry 4

Mirzoeff Response

Reading this article two sentences stuck out to me and reminded me of a picture that I took last year. Mirzoeff said "When ordinary people pose themselves in the most flattering way they can, they take over the role as artist-as-hero. Each selfie is a performance of a person as they hope to be seen by others." I read that and immediately thought of this selfie I took and how that was the exact reason I took this picture. 

Annie Leibovitz

I think what makes Annie Leibovitz's portraits portraits is the story that she tells through them. She does not just take a picture of someone smiling, she tells you something about the person through the picture. Whether it is joy or sorrow or angst or fear or indifference, you can picture a story in your head when you look at the portrait.

I think the one thing that stands out to me in her portraits are the eyes of her models. I do not know what it is about them but when I look at one of her pictures I am immediately drawn to the eyes and what they are saying. It makes me feel as if I am looking into that person's soul, that I can feel what they are feeling.

I think if I were going to do a portrait in her style, I would really focus on the eyes of my model. I would make sure that all the emotion and the story came from their eyes. I feel like so much can be depicted from just the eyes and I think that she does an amazing job at capturing that and I feel like that is what makes her so successful. When I look at one of her pieces, it just draws me in and encapsulates me. I do not want to look away and I think that is a hard thing to do in art but something that is so important.